What are the best practices for setting up and managing AWS Cost and Usage Report across multiple AWS accounts and regions?

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AWS Service: AWS Cost and Usage Report

Question: What are the best practices for setting up and managing AWS Cost and Usage Report across multiple AWS accounts and regions?

Answer:

Here are some best practices for setting up and managing AWS Cost and Usage Report across multiple AWS accounts and regions:

Use AWS Organizations: AWS Organizations can help you manage multiple AWS accounts in a centralized manner. By setting up a master account, you can manage all your AWS accounts in one place and apply policies and cost control mechanisms across them.

Configure Cost and Usage Reports in each account: To get a comprehensive view of your AWS costs, it is recommended to configure Cost and Usage Reports in each account. This will ensure that all the usage and cost data is captured for each account and region.

Standardize report configuration: To simplify management and analysis of the reports, it is recommended to standardize the report configuration across all accounts. This includes using the same report format, frequency, and delivery options.

Use custom cost allocation tags: Custom cost allocation tags can provide granular visibility into the cost and usage data. You can use them to track costs at a department, project, or application level, and create reports that show the cost breakdowns by tag.

Automate report delivery and processing: You can use AWS services such as Amazon S3, Amazon SNS, and AWS Lambda to automate the delivery and processing of the reports. For example, you can set up a Lambda function to process the reports and extract the data that is relevant to your analysis.

Monitor cost and usage trends: It is important to monitor cost and usage trends regularly to identify any anomalies or unexpected spikes in usage. This can help you take corrective action before the costs become too high.

Optimize Reserved Instances and Savings Plans usage: The Cost and Usage Reports can provide insights into the usage of Reserved Instances and Savings Plans. You can use this information to optimize your usage and maximize your savings.

Use visualization tools: Visualization tools such as Amazon QuickSight can help you analyze the cost and usage data in a more meaningful way. You can create custom dashboards and reports that provide insights into your AWS costs and usage patterns.

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